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Monday, November 28, 2011

Epi and Epitou

Epi / Epitou  (enpitou)/ E → and, and then, also, as well as

She speaks English and she speaks Creole.
Li pale Angle epi li pale Kreyòl.
You are smart, beautiful, and considerate.
Ou bèl, intelijan, epi ou janti.

This computer is advanced, small, light, and it's cheap.
Odinatè sa avanse, piti, lejè, epitou li bon mache.

He rescued me from a hell hole, from a dangerous situation, that was killing me.
Li sove m anba yon lanfè, nan yon sitiyasyon ki danjere, epi ki t'ap touye m.



Can you give me the definition of each sentence in kreole. 'do you wear glasses?' 'I am wearing perfume.' 'He always wears a smile.' The carpet has been badly worn.' Notice the verb 'wear' in each sentence.

Do you wear glasses?
Eske ou pote linèt?

I am wearing perfume.
Mwen mete pafen. or
Mwen gen pafen sou mwen.

He always wears a smile.
Li toujou gen yon souri.

The carpet has been badly worn.
Kapèt la abime anpil.

Yes, the verb "to wear" is translated differently in each sentence to specifically describe its action in the Haitian Creole language.  Thanks! for bringing that out :)

Sunday, November 27, 2011

zamii

You mean "zanmi" for "friend?

Ask me anything

What does Mwen ta swete sou yon etwal mean

I would wish upon a star.

Ask me anything

remember to talk with God everyday

Sonje pale ak Bondye chak jou.

Ask me anything

bare (creole): to catch?

Bare (pronounced bah-ray) → to take unawares, to capture, to catch, to trap, to block, to enclose

Bare as in to catch or capture

They caught a burglar at the market.
Yo bare yon vòlè nan mache a.

He was caught stealing mangos.
Yo bare l ap vòlè mango.

She caught him in bed with another woman.
Li bare l nan kabann ak yon lòt fi.



Bare as in: to block, to enclose

The police officers barricaded the road because of the accident.
Polis yo bare wout la akoz aksidan an.

They blocked the school entrance with a yellow ribbon.
Yo te bare antre lekòl la ak yon riban jòn.

Why did they block the road?
Poukisa yo bare wout la?

The man in front of me is blocking my view.  I can't see anything.
Mesye ki devan mwen an bare m.  Mwen pa ka wè anyen.

How do you say "cooking spoons" in Haitian Creole?

The spoon that Haitians cooked with is called kiyè bwa.
It is a wooden spoon especially used when cooking maize (cornmeal).

There's also the soup or gravy ladle called louch.
Used for soups ans stews.

ti kiyè teaspoon

gran kiyè tablespoon

happy birthday

nouvèl (Creole)

Nouvèl → information, news, bulletin

Ban m nouvèl ou.
How have you been?

Ban m nouvèl manman w.
How's your mom?

Eske ou te tande nouvèl la?
Have you heard the news?

Mwen pote bon nouvèl.
I bring good news.

Mwen fe nouvèl chak maten. or
Mwen koute nouvèl chak maten.
I listen to the news every morning.

imajine

imajine → to think of, to imagine, to fantasize, to conceive

do you like me?

Do you like me?
Eske ou renmen m?

tired and bored

fatige e anniye

I'm tired and bored.
Mwen fatige e anniye.

I'm tired and weak.
Mwen fatige e fèb.

You are too restless
Ou fatige tèt ou twòp.

Another way to say tired in Creole is bouke.

I am tired of working hard.
Mwen bouke travay di.

I'm tired of being tired.
Mwen bouke fatige tèt mwen.

Saturday, November 26, 2011

bored and boring

bored → anniye
boring → raz, san plezi, pa enteresan

Would you say "here I come":"isit mwen vini", "isit la m vini" or "la m vini"?I am kinda confused about the usage of here when it is not referring to a specific place.

You're right. It can get confusing.
We might not be able to translate the next examples word for word.

Place the Haitian Creole word "men" before the subject when making these kind of sentences with "Here" or "there".

Here I come.
Men mwen.

Here she comes.
Men li.

Here they come.
Men yo.

Here we are.
Men nou.

Here is the book you wanted.
Men liv ou te vle a.

Here I am Lord.
Men mwen Senyè.

When you call on a Creole speaker, he or she will come to you and most often say:
Men mwen.  Ou te rele m?
Here I am.  Did you call me?

You will also hear:  Men mwen wi! (Here i am!)

There it is.
Men li.
Men ni.

Here is the money I borrowed from you.
Men lajan ou te prete m nan.

Here is the computer I saw in the ad.
Men òdinatè mwen te wè nan reklam nan.

Sometimes Creole speakers will use the verb "vini" along with "men"
example:
Here she comes.
Men l'ap vini.

Here they come with the baby.
Men y'ap vini ak bebe a.

Here I come with the cake.
Men m'ap vini avèk gato a.

So, "Here I come" can either be:
Men mwen.
or
Men m'ap vini.

What is "moun pa"

Moun pa → favorite person, close friend, pal, bosom buddy

He's my buddy.
Se moun pa mwen.(non-contracted)
Se moun pa m. (contracted)
Watch for contractions.  And do not confuse this "pa" with the negative indicator "pa" : )

-Do you know this lady?
  Eske ou konnen madanm sa a?

-Yes I know her.  She's a close friend.
  Wi mwen konnen l. Li se moun pa m.

-If I knew she was your pal I would have been nice to her.
  Si m te konnen li te moun pa w, mwen ta byen aji avè l.

Moun pa is an expression that could mean favoritism.
Ou nan moun pa.
You're playing favorite.

Moun pa se dra.
Good friends are like sheets. (Good friends are a shelter)

He would not have gotten the job if he didn't have someone on the inside.
Li pa ta jwenn travay la si li pa't gen moun pa anndan an.

You must have someone on the inside to get ahead in this country.
Fòk ou gen moun pa pou w avanse nan peyi sa.

See some other Haitian Creole words for "favoritism"